Submit a great article explaining how you built an app for Windows 7 –
complete with code - and if yours is the highest rated article by both The Code
Project community and our judges, you could win a fully loadedHP
Touchsmart tx2z Notebook!

The app should run as a Windows client, and should take advantage
of Windows-specific technologies/features found in Windows 7 (such as jumplists,
thumbnails, etc.)

You’ll need to tag your article with the key words "Windows 7”

Post your article on The Code Project to automatically be entered
in the contest

What You Can Win

Codeproject.com members can vote on your article. The articles that are
highest-rated by members will be rated by our judges to determine the final
winner. If your article wins, in addition to receiving one of our three great
prizes, you’ll be highlighted in The Code Project’s weekly newsletter and on our
contest page.

*Sample Configurations, may vary at award
time. The Code Project reserves the right to substitute prizes for the
cash equivalent.

The Rules

Articles must follow the guidelines listed above.

The articles can use any programming language but must focus on one of
the Windows 7 features.

No cheating, lying, stealing code, or biting.

The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered
into.

Only those who live in jurisdictions in which this contest is legal may
enter.

Any breach of the rules and the prize will be awarded to the runner up.

The contest runs from 3 November 2009 to 3 February 2010, at 11:59:59 PM US
Eastern Standard Time. After the contest closes, no additional entries will
be permitted.

By entering the contest you agree to the rules, conditions of entry, and
agree that your name, member profile information, article, code and any
other submitted material can be used for promotional purposes by The Code
Project and Microsoft.

By entering your article in the contest you agree that The Code Project
and Microsoft can link to your article and all accompanying data or information
for promotional purposes.

Some Excellent Resources

Get the Windows API Code Pack for
Microsoft .NET FrameworkWindows API Code Pack for Microsoft .NET Framework provides a
source code library that can be used to access some new Windows 7 features from
managed code.

Download the Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2Discover how Visual Studio 2010 Beta 2 and .NET Framework 4.0 mark the next generation of Microsoft developer tools. This is no namby-pamby beta. It’s a full-octane beta release with a "Go Live" license that you can use to concept, build, test, and deploy killer Windows 7 apps —and you can even use it to create your contest submission.

Check out these Windows 7 resources:For continued support for developing applications, services, and
drivers for Windows 7—including application compatibility resources, a source
code library, and much more—bookmark these resources:

Discover how to build Innovative Applications with the Windows 7 Developer GuideDownload the Windows 7 Developer Guide to learn how Windows 7
makes it easy for developers to create engaging, user-friendly applications by
providing familiar tools and rich development features that allow them to take advantage
of the latest PC capabilities.

Check out a Sample Article and then get started on your Windows @ Work contest article
submissionTitled “Display Progress and Overlay Icons
for Multiple Views from .NET in Windows 7 Taskbar”, this article describes how
to use Windows 7 new taskbar features, progress indication and overlay icon,
from unmanaged .NET code. The second part shows you how to manage progress
indication and overlay icons in case of multiple views (windows) and provides
appropriate missing classes for Windows API Code Pack.

Develop
Your Windows 7 ApplicationWindows 7 is a highly anticipated
operating system release for Microsoft, and we believe that migration to
Windows 7 will be faster than with our last three releases. To get you started,
we've set up a clear, three-phase approach to take advantage of the operating
system's innovations.

Platform
Update for Windows Vista and Platform Update for Windows Server
2008Start writing applications and
drivers that take advantage of the latest Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
technologies, without losing customers on Windows Vista and Windows Server
2008.

Get
the Windows Driver KitWindows Driver Kit includes:
A set of headers, libraries, build tools, build environments, code samples, documentation,
and other tools that can be used to create drivers and kernel software

Ultimate
Developer Gift:Buy
Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition with MSDN Premium before
March 22, 2010, and you will automatically be transitioned to the new Visual
Studio 2010 Premium with MSDN at no extra cost. Visual Studio 2010 Premium
offers all the functionality of today’s Visual Studio Team System 2008
Developer and Database Editions, plus many more new features. With your MSDN
Premium subscription, you can use Windows 7 to design, develop, test and demo
your applications on as many machines and devices as you need, as long as each
person on your team is a subscriber.

Why the requirement is to use Visual Studio only? What about Delphi 2010 supporting all the new Windows 7 features including touch, multi-touch, gesturing, Ribbon, TaskDialogs, glassing and all the fancy Win7 stuff?

I don't doubt that Delphi supports all these, but I do not like the fact that C++ Builder is left ages behind and I don't like the fact that although x64 is not new, there is no support in delphi as of 2010 and of course nothing announced for C++ Builder.

Since you work from Embarcadero, please note them that all the goods and whistles are good, but basic stuff like a new optimizing compiler and x64 support are more important - and, If we have a tool that does it all (MS C++ compiler), then it is highly unlikely to switch to Embarcadero Techs just for the VCL.